Abstract:
Play is important for children in both normal health and illness. This descriptive
correlational research aimed to examine the relationship between child temperament, perception
of illness severity, perceived self-efficacy in promoting play for their preschool children, nurse
support, and maternal behaviors in promoting play for their hospitalized preschool children.
The sample consisted of 84 mothers of hospitalized preschool children at pediatrics department in
Prapokklao Hospital, Chantaburi province. Convenience sampling was used to recruit the sample.
Research instruments consisted of the demographic record form and questionnaires including
the perception of illness severity, the perceived self-efficacy in promoting play for their preschool
children, the preschool temperament, the nurse support, and the maternal behaviors in promoting
play for their hospitalized preschool children. The reliabilities of questionnaires were .94, .89, .82,
.93 and .84, respectively. Statistics used for data analysis included frequency, percentage, mean,
standard deviation, and Pearsons product moment correlation coefficient.
Results showed that perceived self-efficacy in promoting play for their preschool
children was significantly correlated with maternal behaviors in promoting play for their
hospitalized preschool children (r = .402, p< .001) while the other factors were not. Therefore,
nurses should build mothers self-efficacy in promoting appropriated play for their hospitalized
children.